
UK Baseball: Week Two in Review
OVERALL RECORD: 3-1
WEEK RECORD: 3-1
LAST WEEK
Feb. 20 – Loss, vs. Xavier, 2-3 (10 inn.)
Feb. 23 – Win, vs. Oakland, 10-1
Feb. 24 – Win, vs. Oakland, 17-6
Feb. 25 – Win, vs. Oakland, 15-6
THIS WEEK (1 home game, 3 neutral games)
Feb. 27 – vs. Western Kentucky (4 p.m., Cliff Hagan Stadium, Lexington, Ky., SECN+)
Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic (Houston, Texas; Minute Maid Park)
Mar. 2 – vs. Houston (4:30 p.m.)
Mar. 3 – vs. Sam Houston State (1 p.m.)
Mar. 4 – vs. Louisiana (Noon)
PLAYER OF WEEK NOMINEE
- Sophomore C/1B T.J. Collett
- Collett is the first UK player to homer in four consecutive games since All-American Sawyer Carroll did so in a four-game series vs. Butler in early 2008.
- Collett hit .400 in four games this week, homering four times and driving in 11 runs.
- For his career, Collett now counts seven of his 13 career hits as extra-base hits, including six home runs.
- Collett now has 17 RBI on the season in just eight games.
- Collett is hitting .344 with an .844 slugging percentage this season.
- His HR vs Xavier on Tuesday night tied the game and helped send it to extra innings.
PITCHER OF WEEK NOMINEE
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Junior RHP SEAN HJELLE (vs. Oakland)
- Pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one hit, no runs and striking out 13.
- Went to just two three-ball counts and threw 70 of 94 pitches for strikes.
- The 13 strikeouts are a career-high, besting the 10 he had vs. LSU on 5/25/17 at the SEC Tournament.
- Hjelle retired the first 12 hitters he faced before back-to-back errors to start the fifth inning. He then retired the next 11 before Jordan Jackson’s single.
- Hjelle now has 17 career wins, tying him for 12th on UK’s career list.
- His career winning percentage of .773 ranks third on UK’s career list.
- In his first two starts this season, Hjelle has pitched 13.2 IP, giving up just three hits, one run, two walks and striking out 16.
TEAM NOTES
- Kentucky hit .379 as a team and averaged 11 runs per game for the week.
- Scored 42 runs in weekend series vs. Oakland
- Kentucky moved to 23-2 in non-conference home games under coach Nick Mingione.
- The Cats are 24-0 when scoring 10 or more runs under Mingione.
- The offense has hit a home run in all eight games this season.
PLAYER NOTES
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Senior IF Luke Becker
- Had three doubles on the week.
- Became the 50th player in UK history to reach 100 career hits.
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Junior OF Ryan Johnson
- Hit .467 for the week with four doubles and his first career home run.
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Senior C/1B Troy Squires
- Recorded all eight of his RBI for the season in the weekend series vs. Oakland.
- Recorded his 22nd career sacrifice to move into seventh place on UK’s career list.
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Senior IF/OF Luke Heyer
- Hit .444 in three games with two home runs, four runs and four RBI.
- Started games at both 3B and LF during the week.
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Junior IF Trey Dawson
- Hit a team-high .556 for the week with six runs scored and eight walks.
- Reached base in 11 of his first 12 plate appearances, including nine straight.
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Junior RHP Justin Lewis
- Struck out a career-high 11 vs. Oakland